A Boston Public Schools employee is on leave and facing legal charges after being accused of asking a minor to send sexual images.
Ernest Logan, a 21-year-old Technician at TechBoston Academy, was arraigned Monday in the West Roxbury Division of Boston Municipal Court on two counts of lascivious posing a child in a state of nudity. Bail was set at $3,000 with orders that he stay away from the victim, witnesses and the school.
A relative of the minor contacted detectives with the Boston Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit after finding concerning messages between the victim and Logan, who was known to the family through school. In those messages, police said Logan allegedly encouraged the minor to send him sexual images and the victim complied.
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Boston Public Schools said in a statement that, "we work swiftly when informed that a member of our community has done something that is counter to that shared value. While we cannot comment on the specifics of this incident, we can confirm that a member of the community has been placed on leave and we are cooperating with the Boston Police Department and their investigation."
Logan was arrested on Friday. He is represented by Kenneth McGoldick and is due back in court on April 27. The investigation remains ongoing by Boston Police and prosecutors assigned to District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s Crime Strategies Bureau, which incorporates the office’s Human Trafficking and Exploitation Unit.
Current law does not provide protection to minors who have reached the age of consent, which is 16 for intercourse and age 14 for other sexual contact in Massachusetts. Hayden is pushing for a bill that would change that.
A hearing for the bill came before the Massachusetts Legislature’s Judiciary Committee in December. The legislation would make it a crime for adults in positions of authority or trust – including educators, caregivers, coaches, clergy, and others – to engage in sexual relations with any minor under their supervision or care up to the age of 18.
“Providing safe and supportive environments for young people to learn and grow is vital to ensuring their future success. They deserve nothing less, and as adults we have a duty to ensure that every child is protected,” Hayden said. “As District Attorney, as well as a parent, a coach, a member of the clergy, and a board member at youth serving nonprofits, I understand the level of trust and authority each of these roles holds over young people. A child does not suddenly become less vulnerable to that uneven power structure the moment they turn 16.”
Anyone who believes that a child in Massachusetts may be the victim of abuse can call the Department of Children and Families’ Child at Risk Hotline at 1-800-792-5200. Those concerned that a child is being exploited online may report a Cybertip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or www.cybertipline.com.
